Search Results: Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia and Egypt snubbed the Damascus Summit. They left it in no position
to deal with either the political stalemate in Lebanon, or ongoing sectarian violence in Iraq. Aside from political demarcations, the Arab world is suffering from a growing rift between the ruling regimes and the people.

At al-Jazeera's Doha newsroom, employees are reminded that the channel must show 'the opinion and the opposite opinion'. Arab governments are not amused, and many have closed its bases in their territories. Yet Foxtel and other major providers in Australia and the US still decline to carry al-Jazeera.

The US-organised Annapolis talks brought Israeli and Arab leaders together with the intention to broker talks on 'a new era of peace'. It bears striking similarity to the Clinton Administration's efforts exactly seven years ago.

There may be ideological sympathy on the part of Indonesia's Jemaah Islamiyah for Al Qaeda, but there has been no direct affiliation between between the two groups since 2003. Al Qaeda, it seems, has dismissed JI as ineffectual—they keep getting caught.

The death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi last Wednesday has the potential to be a major turning point in Iraq for both the civilian government, and for the coalition forces. What happens next could shape Iraq's future.

George Bush, John Howard and others insist that we are winning the long war against terrorists, and, perhaps by body count they are right. But there is evidence that the way we are fighting the war has massively increased popular sympathy for such people in some parts of the world.

While refereeing standards have been the subject of much debate at this World Cup, and some have decried the paucity of goals, the re-assertion of ‘Old Europe’s’ footballing pre-eminence has escaped serious analysis.